Due to high cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease concerns, many consumers are interested in making healthier choices their diets. For this reason, a need exists to provide consumers with whole grain, low cholesterol products. However, with fast-paced lifestyles, it is difficult for consumers to prepare healthy meals or snacks. Therefore, a need also exists to provide the consumer with ready-to-eat nutritious products.
Although others have attempted to make drinkable whole grain products, the texture and properties, such as sliminess, thick viscosity and mouthfeel, of the resultant products are undesirable. These undesirable characteristics are, in large part, attributable to the thick viscosity of the whole grain slurries used in preparing the products. Therefore, a need exists for a low viscosity whole grain flour slurry and method for preparing same.
Methods traditionally used in the field to reduce viscosity of whole grain flour slurries include subjecting the flour slurry to a colloid mill and adding an enzyme to the whole grain flour slurry. Both of these methods have significant drawbacks. For example, using a colloid mill to lower the viscosity of a whole grain flour slurry is extremely time consuming, as the slurry must be treated with the colloid mill for at least 45 minutes. Adding an enzyme to the flour-water slurry to reduce the viscosity is also extremely disadvantageous, as these enzymes must be purchased or manufactured at a significant cost. Moreover, the enzyme hydrolyzes the starch flour thereby modifying the structure of the flour which in turn causes the flour to lose its standard of identity as “whole grain”. If the flour loses its standard of identity as “whole grain” one cannot make particular FDA-approved health claims relating to the flour.
The present invention is directed toward satisfying the need that exists in the field, for a cost-effective and time-effective method for preparing a low viscosity whole grain flour slurry. The present invention reduces the viscosity of a whole grain flour-water mixture at least ten-fold. Additionally, if used in a beverage, this reduced viscosity whole grain slurry will provide consumers with a healthy and easily consumable product with enhanced texture and drinkability.